Tovaangar
"Tovangaar" means "the world," or "homelands" in the Tongva* language.
We recognize that we are guests in the homelands of the Hahamong'na and Tongva people. We extend our respect and gratitude to the many indigenous people who call these lands home. cred: PUSD Student Think Tank Land Acknowledgement
*It has come to our attention that term "Tongva" is a word coined by European academics and that tribe members do not wish to use that term to describe themselves. However, due to how much of their history has been erased by settlers, we are unable to find a more authentic name for them. If you are able to give us more insight on this discrepancy, please contact us at mallika.n.sheshadri@gmail.com.
Lepowsky, M. (2004). "Indian revolts and cargo cults: Ritual violence and revitalization in California and New Guinea". In Harkin, M. E. (ed.). Reassessing revitalization movements: Perspectives from North America and the Pacific Island. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 51, note 1. ISBN 978-0-8032-2406-3. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
"Tovangaar" refers to the lands of the Gabrielẽno-Tongva people indigenous to this area. The Hahamong'na people, a sub-tribe of the Tongva tribe, inhabited what we now know as the Arroyo Seco area of the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles.
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The Tongva honor nature through things like dance and oral history because they see themselves as a part of nature, rather than trying to dominate it.
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This is a perspective that we can all try to embody in the 21st century.
The world of the Hahamong'na people encompasses everything from the Hahamong'na Watershed the foothills of Altadena.
These places are home to precious ecosystems, and we believe they are worth protecting.
Tovaangar aims to raise awareness for the precious ecosystems of Altadena by utilizing the arts.
